Robert's Market Report

What's available in Philadelphia's public and farmers' markets, from the perspective of a Big Hungry Boy With Word Processor

Monday, January 12, 2009

Red Sauerkraut!

I'm a sauerkraut fan, so I picked up a jar of Wills Valley Farm's fermented red cabbage at the Reading Terminal Market's Fair Food Farmstand a couple of weeks ago.

Straight out of the jar, I did not care for it. But when cooked . . . WOW!

I came to this conclusion after gently braising some German-style hot dogs in the red cabbage kraut. First I gently sautéed a medium onion in canola oil (butter would work, too) until just barely starting to turn golden, then I added the red cabbage, allowing it to cook covered for about 10-15 minutes. I had an old Asian pear, slightly shriveled, sitting in the crisper, so I peeled it and grated the pulp into the cabbage. (An apple is the usual addition, but none were in the larder.) Then I added maybe a quarter cup of water (if I had an open bottle of white wine, I would have used that), a couple of the foot-long franks, covered again and simmered low for another 10-15 minutes. Delicious, especially when served with a German-style mustard.

About Me

Name: Bob Libkind

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

No matter where he travels, Bob investigates local public markets and food purveyors. When he's home in Philadelphia, that primarily means the Reading Terminal Market, but also the Italian Market and various city farmer markets, in season.